Four Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2022 NCAA Division II Academic All-District 3 Women's Volleyball first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).
Earning Academic All-District distinction is the TU quartet of Elise Carmichael, Peyton Gash, Carli Pigza and Carly Sosnowski.
The 2022 Academic All-District® Women's Volleyball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 50 percent of their team's matches.
Carmichael, a senior setter from Avon, Indiana, has a 3.72 GPA while majoring in business management. She is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award and is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
The two-time All-SAC third team choice led the Pioneers in total assists (504 – 8th in SAC), assists per set average (5.93 – 8th in SAC), service aces (36 – 7th in SAC) and service aces per set (0.42 – 5th in SAC).
She accounted for double-digit assists in all 25 of her matches in 2022 including 14 with 20 or more helpers. She notched a season-high 31 assists against Mars Hill and tallied 29 against Lincoln Memorial. She recorded a season-high four aces on three occasions including Mars Hill and Lincoln Memorial, twice. Carmichael also average 1.81 digs per set which included three double-doubles.
In her 86-match career, she has accounted for 1,842 assists which are the seventh-most in school history. Her 6.12 assists per set average is eighth in the TU record book. Her 145 career assists are the third-most by a Pioneer while her 0.48 aces per set average has her ranked second all-time.
Gash, a junior right-side hitter from Lexington, Kentucky, has a 3.71 GPA and is majoring in sport management. She earned the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award last year and is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
In 2022, she averaged 2.38 kills and 0.48 blocks per set while posting a .226 hitting percentage. In her 25 matches, she totaled 212 kills, 38 digs and 43 blocks. She tallied 10 or more kills in nine contests including a season-best 17 against Mars Hill and 13 in a road win at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Pigza, graduate student from Fort Mill, South Carolina, is working on her master's degree in education. She graduated from Tusculum last year with honors and finished with a 3.70 GPA while majoring in studio art. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is also a three-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Pigza averaged 2.56 kills, 1.63 digs and 0.42 blocks per game while hitting .206 in her 26 matches to earn All-SAC third team accolades. She finished second on the team with 238 total kills, 152 digs and 39 blocks. She recorded double-digit kills on nine occasions resulting in three double-doubles.
In her 112 career matches, she averaged 2.22 kills and 0.59 blocks per game while notching a .209 attack percentage. She totaled 898 kills, 316 digs and 240 blocks for the Pioneers.
Sosnowski, a graduate libero from Oxford, Florida, continues to add to her impressive resume. The three-time D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient graduated from TU in 2021 with a 3.70 GPA and majored in psychology with a concentration in behavioral health and also earned a master's degree in 202 in sports administration. She is a member of the Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
She earned conference honors for a second straight season as she posted All-SAC first team plaudits in 2022 after being a second team choice in 2021. She averaged 5.03 digs per set in her 25 matches, which are third in the league and 36th in the nation. She totaled 448 digs on the season while her digs per set average is 11th in school history.
Sosnowski earned AVCA All-America honors in 2021 and was an All-Region standout en route to being named Tusculum Female Athlete of the Year. She finished her 84-match career with 1,503 digs which are the fifth-most in TU history. She also totaled 61 service aces and 268 assists including 104 this season.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First, second and third team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in December.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-2023 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
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